Article August 1, 1977 Issue

My Neighbor

(written at age 10)

Heather Anne Sass

There was one girl in my class I didn't like. Her name was Sara. No one liked her because she was so mean to everybody. Whenever she wasn't in school everyone was glad, even the teacher. He liked it because it was quieter without her.

One day my mom noticed that I was grumpy. She asked what the matter was. I told her about Sara. Then she reminded me about Christ Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan, which tells how a certain man was robbed and wounded, and the thieves left him half dead. Then a priest came and saw him, but he passed by on the other side. Next a Levite came along and did the same as the priest. But when the Samaritan came, he took care of the man and set him on his own animal. He took him to an inn and saw that he was cared for. Then Jesus asked which one of the three men was the neighbor to the man who had been robbed. Of course, it was the Samaritan, the one who showed mercy. Then Jesus said, "Go, and do thou likewise." ^{Luke 10:37;} I learned that everybody is your neighbor and that you must be a good neighbor yourself. You must know that all are God's perfect children just like yourself, and you must love them. Mrs. Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, says, "When we realize that there is one Mind, the divine law of loving our neighbor as ourselves is unfolded." ^{Science and Health, p. 205.}

The next day at school my teacher moved our seats. It seemed that whenever he did this I always got stuck near, or next to, Sara. This time she was right behind me. I was just about to start arguing with her when I remembered she was my neighbor and that I should be good to her.

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